Watch out - scammers are looking out to profit from London 2012 and YOUR money

[richard]

The following is information provided on the official London 2012 website on protecting yourself from scams ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Please revisit the official London 2012 site for important security updates and other 2012 scams by visiting www.london2012.com

To check whether a website is an official sales channel use the website checker.

http://www.london2012.com/about-this...te-checker.php

London 2012 recognises the importance of online security.

Here are some basic tips and links that will help you to protect your PC and your personal information.

Fraudulent companies/individuals claiming to be associated with London 2012:

We have been alerted to the fact that a few companies/individuals are fraudulently claiming to be associated with London 2012 in an attempt to scam people into paying them money. These scams are not email or online scams as described below, but include fraudsters making direct, face-to-face contact which individuals and offering services connected to the Games.

If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from London 2012, saying they are authorised by or connected to London 2012, or saying they can help you gain some connection with the Games, please take steps to ensure they are legitimate, particularly if they are asking you to pay them any money.

If you are in any doubt, please contact London 2012 before dealing further with them. (NB Although the London Organising Committee will raise funds by selling tickets to the Games and official London 2012 merchandise, it is unlikely that London 2012 will be asking individuals to pay for any other goods or services, whether directly to it or through agents).

Watch out for scam 2012 emails

It has been drawn to our attention that London 2012's name has been abused in relation to some email scams and other fraudulent or inappropriate conduct. See below for more details of known scams.

Scam emails try to persuade the email receiver to submit personal information or to part with money as an up front payment in order to release a prize.

We have also been made aware of fake lotteries and prize draws which purport to raise funds for London 2012 but don't .

Currently there are three ways of playing National Lottery games by which you can contribute to the Games:

• Dream Number – a draw-based game played twice weekly and played alongside the main Lotto draw
• Instant Win Games
• Scratchcards – it is always possible to tell whether a Lottery Scratchcard is a bona fide fundraiser for London 2012. To verify this, read the back of the ticket and look out for the following wording ‘The Good Cause contribution from the sale of this Scratchcard will go to the fund set up for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games’.

The majority of scratchcards raising funds for the Games carry the London 2012 logo but this is not always the case and you should refer to the back of the ticket for confirmation of official status.

All official London 2012 Games will be operated by the National Lottery.

As a general rule, if you have not entered a competition, you won't have won a prize, and you should treat the email with absolute caution. Official London 2012 Volunteer and Supporter emails are always sent from one of the following addresses: support@london2012.com or support@london2012.org.

If you do receive an unsolicited email purporting to be from London 2012, which is not from either of these email addresses, do not open it - delete it and in no circumstances should you provide any personal details or pay any money over to person who sent the email.

Install anti-virus software on your PC

When you connect to the Internet, your PC is exposed to the risk of infection from viruses. Viruses can attack via websites, email attachments or by spreading from computer to computer.

Use a firewall on your PC

A firewall is a programme that blocks unwanted traffic between your PC and the internet. It is designed to stop incoming viruses attacking your computer and to block unauthorised programmes on your computer accessing other machines over the Internet.

Block spyware on your PC

Spyware is a general term for hidden programs on your PC that invade your privacy. They gather data about you and send it over the Internet without your permission. Spyware can hijack your web browser and display unwanted pop-up advertising on your computer. There are several free anti-spyware programs available you can find these via your search engine of choice.

Protect yourself against online fraud (phishing)

Often called 'Phishing', fraudsters may 'fish' for your personal details. Such attempts can appear as an email appearing to be from a reputable company. Within the email you may be encouraged to click a link to a fraudulent page designed to either to capture your details or to download unauthorised software onto your PC.

Procurement

If you are approached by someone stating that they can get your business on to a London 2012 procurement list or something similar, we recommend that you decline the offer and do not pay them anything.

All official information about business opportunities relating to London 2012 will be provided on this website. View details of our procurement process.

Useful links

Please note London 2012 is not responsible for the content of the websites listed below:

The Metropolitan Police Fraud Alert website provides general advice to the victims of fraud.

For general information about protecting your PC and yourself, visit Get Safe Online.

View information for Microsoft users.

View information for Mac users.

For Internet Security, Firewall and Anti-Virus software visit Symantec, McAfee or Sophos.

Ticketing - watch out for unofficial sales

Tickets for the London 2012 Games will not go on sale to the general public until 2011 and will only be available for purchase through the London 2012 website and its appointed ticketing partners.

We want to make sure fans are not misled or ripped-off by people selling tickets on the black market at increased prices or by fraudsters selling fake tickets or claiming to be able to reserve tickets.

To help us do this the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 (the “2006 Act”) created new laws for the sale of tickets for London 2012 Games events. Under the legislation, a person will commit a criminal offence if he sells, advertises for sale or offers to sell London 2012 Games tickets.

So selling London 2012 Games tickets on the black market will be illegal, as will selling tickets as part of hospitality packages without the authority of LOCOG. This applies to the resale of genuine London 2012 Games tickets as well as, of course, the sale of fake tickets.

If you are contacted by someone stating that they have tickets for the London 2012 Games for sale, we recommend that you treat them with suspicion, decline their offer and do not pay them anything. Finally, keep an eye on this website for further details about the release of tickets for sale.

If you are concerned about anyone offering London 2012 Games tickets for sale, you can let us know by emailing brandprotection@london2012.com


Details of known 2012 scams

Weymouth and Portland 'Investment Proposal' email scam

This email purports to be from 'Seb Coe'. It refers to the sailing facilities at Weymouth and Portland for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events. The email claims that the contract for the facilities was to be awarded and executed by two foreign contractors for £400,000,000 but in the end was executed with a Bulgarian firm at a cost of £385,500,000.

The email states that there is a remaining £14,500,000 of benefit available. The email therefore asks the recipient to present its business as the second foreign contractor to enable the transfer of the remaining (£14,500,000) into his or her account. This is a scam. Do not under any circumstances provide any personal details or pay any money to the person who sent this email.

London 2012 Olympics Committee

This letter or email tells the recipient that they have won £50,000 from the International Sweepstakes Promotion Programme sponsored by the London 2012 Olympics Committee (olympics.committee-2012@alive.co.uk). This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The email purports to have been sent from Mr. Andy Morgan, Moorgate International (BG) Ltd, 81 New Gate Street, EC1 2PE (morrgate-ltd@hotmail.co.uk) and the contact telephone number is given as 0044 (0) 755-155-5799.

2012 Olympics, A Lottery For The Future

The email purports to be from Mrs. Linda Rose with an email address of: olympic2012@fabinet.hu. The subject header for the email is: Olympics, A Lottery For The Future and a refernce is given as being: Olympic lottery Ref: UK2012/OLY/CAMP 2012. It informs the recipient that they have won a large sum of money in a weekly promotion. The recipient is provided with a batch, serial and claim number and is requested to contact the claim agent (Mark Freedom) with their bank details. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The following contact details are provided in the email: 0703-592-4941, olympic.freedommark@gmail.com.

2012 Games Entertainments Co-ordinator scam

This email purports to be from Annette Griffin the “2012 games entertainments co-ordinator”. Her email is given as being olympics2012london@live.co.uk. The email informs the recipient that they have been shortlisted in a list of entertainment services to take part in the London 2012 Games and requests that the recipient send through a video of their full main stage act or send a YouTube link of the full performance video. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

London 2012 Employment Scams

It has come to LOCOG’s attention that certain individuals/organisations are purporting to be official recruiters for London 2012 related job opportunities. Please note that details of London 2012 related job opportunities can be found on the official website at www.london2012.com . Do not provide any of your personal details without checking that they have been properly authorised by London 2012.

Olympic Lottery London

The email is from “Olympic Lottery London” and may be in French or English. It informs the recipient that they have won a large sum of money as a result of a random draw, and provides a contact name, number and email address. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The contact name given is of Mr Aldaine Akmel, and the address of the “Olympic Lottery London” is said to be at: 16 Beauchamp Place, London, SW3 1NQ. The contact email address is given as being: aldaine_akmel@consultant.com and further information can be sought by contacting olympiqueloterielondres@yahoo. co.uk. The telephone numbers provided are + 44 703 1841 678 and 00225 666 773 19.

Deloitte/London 2012 Olympic Games Promotional Draw

This email, which is being sent to people in many different versions, informs the recipient that they are a winner in the Deloitte/London 2012 Olympic Games Promotional Draw. The identities of senior LOCOG/ODA officials are also fraudulently being used. Some versions of the email claims that the Draw has been organised by Grosvenor UK, Centros Miller, Marshalls, Cushman & Wakefield, & Drapers International to encourage the use of the internet and computers. The email invites the recipient to provide personal details in order to process the prize. This is a scam. Do not respond, provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

Visa Europe Company Olympic Games Official Promotion

This e-mail informs the recipient that they have won £750,000 in this Promotion. The emails states that online draws were conducted by a random selection of email addresses obtained from an exclusive list. The recipient is informed that the British Gaming Board has approved this promotion. The e-mail instructs the recipient to contact Sir Allan Green of Oxford Law Firm & Schmidtz Associates at enquiry_oxford@iwon.com and provides the following mobile number: +447031818461. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

London 2012 grant award

This email claims to have been sent from Mrs Joseph Robbert (from The Desk of the Director of Promotions, International Promotions/Grant Award Department). This email informs the recipient that they are one of six lucky winners in the London 2012 Promotional Prize Award, the first of which was held on 19 January 2008, and has won £600,000. The email instructs recipients to forward their personal details to Mr. Damns Lukas, Foreign Department Director, London 2012 Promotional Prize Award Department, tel: +44-704-571-8520, fax: +44-701-421-8453, email: london2012_02@yahoo.co.uk and london2012_3@yahoo.co.uk. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

London's 2012 Olympic Paralympic Games Awards

This e-mail informs the recipient that they have won USD2.1million. The e-mail instructs the recipient to contact Mr G Whiteman at London.2012agent@yahoo.ca.uk and provides the following mobile number: +447045726416. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

London 2012 Promotion

This email tells the recipient that they have won a large amount of money from a lottery draw held on 6 January 2008. The contact details provided are of Michael Greening, with an e-mail address at london2012onl@yahoo.co.uk. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

De Lotto Netherlands International Lottery Promograms

This e-mail informs the recipient that the De lotto Netherlands International Promotion (DLP) was held in Netherlands in December 2006, and that the recipient has been randomly selected as a winner. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The contact name given is Mr David Richards of Virtual Finance & Security BV, and the email address given for responding is payoffice@mixmail.com. This email claims to be sent from Mrs.Tineke De Grout, who purports to be the Promotion Manager.

London 2012 Olympics/Microsoft Sweepstake

This e-mail tells the recipient that they have won £500,000 and an all expense paid trip to watch the Olympic Games in 2012 as a result of a London 2012/Microsoft Group UK sweepstake. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The alleged name of the contact person given is: Eugene Lane who claims to be a member of the “London 2012 Award Team”, and the contact e-mail addresses given are: agentlane.london2012@yahoo.de and agentlane@london2012.co.uk.tt.

The Trojan Lottery

This e-mail tells the recipient that they have won a large amount of money from The Trojan Lottery, and attaches a 'certified cheque'. The e-mail alleges that your winnings have been placed in an American bank. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

The UK Premier Lottery

This e-mail tells the recipient that they have won a large amount of money from The UK Premier Lottery. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The e-mail address provided is: ukplo.claims@yahoo.de and the contact telephone number given is: +447031819544.
The National Lottery/ International Lottery Promotion

This email tells the recipient that they have won a large amount of money from The National Lottery. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The contact details provided are: International Lottery Promotion, 624 Old Kent Road, London SE15 1JB, England.

Olympic Torch scam email

This is a hoax email warning about an Internet virus in the form of an Olympic Torch. The report is untrue, and the email should be deleted. The text of the hoax reads as follows:

"Please read the attached warning issued today. PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS: You should be alert during the next days: Do not open any message with an attached filed called "Invitation" regardless of who sent it. It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which "burns" the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list, that is why you should send this e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a mail called "invitation", though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept. SEND THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, COPY THIS E-MAIL AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US."

Earlville Finance United Kingdom On-line Lottery Scam

This email from Dr Peter Wright of Earlville Finance United Kingdom Pty informs the recipient that they have won the jackpot ($1,950,000.00) in an on-line lottery in honour of the fact that London is hosting the Olympic Games in 2012. Subsequent emails may ask the recipient to send money (e.g. $8000). This is a scam. Do not respond, provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

Grosvenor/London 2012 Olympic Games Promotional Draw

This email contains a letter which tells the recipient that they are one of a number of winners in the Grosvenor/London 2012 Olympic Games Promotional Draw / Deloitte/London 2012 Olympic Games Promotional Draw. The identities of senior LOCOG/ODA officials are also fraudulently being used.

The email claims that the Draw has been organised by Grosvenor UK, Centros Miller, Marshalls, Cushman & Wakefield, & Drapers International to encourage the use of the internet and computers. The email invites the recipient to contact a Promotional Claims Agent in order to process the prize. The email also claims that all winners outside the UK have been granted automatic visa waiver to attend the London 2012 Olympic Games and have been invited to a special Gala Party. This is a scam. Do not respond, provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. No such visa waivers have been granted.

Olympic Arts Committee

This email (olympicartists@hotmail.co.uk) claims to be from an organisation aiming to privately fund artists whose work can be shown around the world in conjunction with the London 2012 Games. The identities of senior LOCOG/ODA officials are also fraudulently being used. The emails request details of artists' work and contacts and also refer to carrying out credit referencing. This is a scam. Do not respond, provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

The Coca Cola London 2012 Olympic Games Promotions email scam

This email contains a letter claiming to be from The Coca Cola London 2012 Olympic Games Promotions which tells the recipient that they have won an email draw. The letter invites the recipient to fill in an application form and promises a payment by online transfer. This is a scam. Do not respond, provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

Virgin International Lottery UK

This email tells the recipient that after a random screening of email addresses, they have emerged as a Category "A" winner of the "Virgin International Lottery United Kingdom (UK)", for five million pounds. The lottery is described as being part of the country's programme to raise funds for the Games in 2012, and invites the recipient to claim a lump sum payment. This is a scam. Do not respond, provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

"Ford Olympic 2012 Promo" / "Ford London2012 Promotion" / "Ford Olympic Promotion"

This email tells the recipient that they have won a promotional draw run by Ford Motor Company, in conjunction with the Local Organising Committee of London 2012, and invites them to get in touch to claim payment. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

Australian Lottery (in affiliation with the London 2012 Olympics Committee) postal scam

This scam arrives by post in the form of a letter from the Australian Lottery and advises the recipient that they have won the Australian Lottery International Sweepstakes Promotion, sponsored by the London 2012 Olympics Committee. They are asked to contact a claims agent, Mr Lyne Winston. The letter is addressed from Laura Southwell. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this letter or to the claims agent.

London 2012 Lottery Promotions

This email tells the recipient that they have won a large amount of money from a lottery draw held to raise funds for the 2012 Games. The email attaches a document asking for personal details in order for you to claim your prize. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The contact details provided are Mrs Theresa R. Howard LCI Lottery Organisation, Paradise Walk, London, SW3 4JL and the email is from Susan Davies.

London2012.com advertising phone scam

This is a telephone scam where businesses are cold-called and offered the chance to advertise on the London 2012 website. We do not sell advertising space on our website. If you are led to believe your adverts will appear on our website, this is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the caller.

"London 2012 Olympics Promo" email scam

This email is illegally branded with the London 2012 emblem, and notifies the recipient that they have been selected as a winner of the "London 2012 Olympics Lottery Promo". It gives the 'winner' the option to either pick up their cheque at the London 2012 offices or to pay a courier fee to have the cheque delivered. The email gives the name "Mr. David Murphey" as the relevant contact. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the person who sent this email.

"Olympic 2012 Awareness Lotto" email scam

This email tells the recipient that they have been selected in a computer promotional ballot as a winner of the "Bigbig lotto" and gives the name "Mr. James Baker/John Baker" as the relevant contact. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the person who sent this email.

Fake London 2012 press release

This is an email made to look like a London 2012 press release - if a recipient clicks on it and they don't have internet protection software running on their PC, the email will try to download a Trojan horse keylogger - this is designed to steal your information when you access certain online banks and e-commerce websites. The file name of the code is "logo.wmf." If you receive this email, do not open it - delete it immediately. Official London 2012 Volunteer and Supporter emails are always sent from one of the following addresses: support@london2012.com or support@london2012.org.

London2012 Promotional Draw For The 2012 Olympic Games In London email scam

This email tells the recipient that they have won a prize from a lottery draw held on 4th of October 2005. The email gives the name "Mr Henry Roberts" as the relevant contact. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the person who sent this email.

London 2012 Olympics Lottery Board/ London Olympics 2012 Lottery Promotions:

This email claims to have been sent from Rebecca Yaguda, Online coordinator of the London Olympics 2012 Lottery Promotions. This email informs the recipient that their name has been selected through a computer ballot and that they are a winner of the London Olympics 2012 Lotto Winnings Programs held on 28 September 2008 and have won £800,000. The recipient is given a reference number and a ‘winning number’. The email instructs recipients to forward their personal details to the claims processor, Mr Mark Smith and gives his email as being claimslop2012@hotmail.co.uk and tel: 00447045712612. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email.

Ministry of Finance/ Organising Committee 2012 London Olympic Games

The email informs the recipient that they won a cash prize of 250,000.00 GBP (which has been converted to $376,576.96). A swift transfer confirmation slip is attached to the email. The recipient is informed that the money that has been won cannot be transferred into the recipient's account as the Ministry of Finance is insisting that a mandatory 0.3% tax ($1,130) needs to be paid first. The sender also attached an Order from the Ministry of Finance and requests that payment of $1.130 be made to his lawyer. The email purports to have been sent from the "Organizing Committee 2012 London Olympic Games" and is signed off from "Jones Douglas, Claims Director Foreign Services". This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay money to the people who sent this email.

Olympic Lottery/London 2012 Olympic Internet Game/International Lottery email

This email (olympic2012@live.com) claims to be from an organisation distributing money and tickets to the London 2012 Games following a lottery draw. Recipients are informed that they are winners of the 'The London 2012 Olympic Internet Game', which selects individuals at random. The email asks recipients to claim their winnings by sending in a serial number together with their personal details including their name, address, telephone numbers and gender. This is a scam. Do not provide any personal details or pay any money to the person who sent this email.

London 2012/Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) International Online Lottery

This e-mail tells the recipient that they have won a large amount of money and that they have won free tickets to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The e-mail goes on to tell the recipient that "the International Online Lottery was formed and sponsored by London 2012 Olympic Games in conjunction with Federation of International Football Association (FIFA)”. This is a scam. Do not provide any of your personal details or pay any money to the people who sent this email. The e-mail purports to have been sent from Kelvin Johnson of 2-19 Lenton Road, The Park, Nottingham , NG7 1DQ (kevijohnson@msn.com) and the contact telephone number given is: +44 7039 401 258.


Source
http://www.london2012.com/help-advic...afe-online.php

[richard]

Please note my comment made at the top of this thread for you to revisit the official London 2012 website on a regular basis in order to stay up-to-date with important security updates and newer or more devious London 2012 scams.

The link to the official London 2012 website is www.london2012.com - accept no substitutes!

And a note to anyone reading this post from London2012, you have the link for Symantec in the 'Useful links' part of the Stay safe online article pointing to the McAfee website

[Charlee Babes xx]

Originally Posted by richard

Please note my comment made at the top of this thread for you to revisit the official London 2012 website on a regular basis in order to stay up-to-date with important security updates and newer or more devious London 2012 scams.

The link to the official London 2012 website is www.london2012.com - accept no substitutes!

And a note to anyone reading this post from London2012, you have the link for Symantec in the 'Useful links' part of the Stay safe online article pointing to the McAfee website

omg that doesnt sound good :/ btw has anyone heard about the new mascots? walking cctv cameras is what they look like.. and what i find appauling is that younger children like them but dont know what it 'apparently' represents.. oh dear god i really wish the british had better designers... seriously..

[debsf]

I am a US citizen hoping to get tickets. What is the best way to do this? I found a website called cosport - is this legit? Any help is appreciated! I am so confused! Thanks. Debbie

[richard]

From the official London 2012 Olympics website:

Don't be fooled by bogus websites and organisations claiming to sell tickets to the Games. To check whether a website is an official sales channel use the website checker.

http://www.london2012.com/ticket-website-checker

Don't get scammed by a bogus site!

[danisking]

It sickness me when others try to profit from thing like this!

[richard]

Unfortunately there will always be a few undesirables out to make a quick buck, always has been, always will be. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you want to buy tickets for the London 2012 Olympics then visit the official London2012.com website at www.london2012.com (or google 'London 2012') and follow the links to the ticket site.

It's not rocket science!!!